Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-06-15
2 Serial Story.
j E = g..
BY HI. RIDER HAGGARD,
AUTHOR OF "KING soLoMoN's MINES,
'sHE," ETC, ETC.


AUTHOR OF "K1Na soLoMoN's MINES
"sHE," ETC. ETC.
CHAPTER RXVI.-CONT1NUED.
On came the cart and the knot Of men, ana
then suddenly John looked up and saw her
looking at him with those dark eyes that did,
indeed, seem at times as though they were the
windows of her soul He turned and said
something to his companions and to the Zulu
Mouti, who went on with the cart and then
came toward her smiling and with out
stretched hand.
allow do you do, JESSE" he said. "So have
found you oil rights"
She took his hand and answered, almost
angrily, aWhy have you come! Why did you
leave Bessie and my unclea"
u came because was sent. and also be-
cause wished to. wanted to get you back
home before Pretoria was besieged."
@You must have been mad! How could
YOU expect to get back? We shall both be
shut up here together now" %
aSo it appears Well, things might bs
worse" he added, cheerfully.
II do not think that anything could be
worse" she answered. with u stamp OF her
foot, and then, quite thrown of her balance,
burst incontinently into food Of tears.
John Mel was q very simple minded man,
and it never struck him to attribute her grief
to any other cause than anxiety ut the state
of affairs and at her incarceration for all
indefinite period in besieged town that ran
daily risk of being taken vi ct arms. Still he
was little hurt at the manner Of his recep-
ton after his long and most perilous journey,
which is not, perhaps, to be wondered at.
GWell, JESS" lie said, II think that you
might speak a little more kindly to me,
considering considering all things. There
don't cry, they ore all right at Mooifontein,
and dare say that We shall get back there
somehow sometime or other. I had nice
business to get here at all, can tell you"
She suddenly stopped weeping and smiled,
her tears passing away like a summer storm.
allow did you get through?" she asked. "Tell
mo oil about it, Capt Mel" and accordingly
he did.
She listened in silence while be sketched the
chief events of his journey, and when he had
done she spoke in quite changed tone.
sIt is very good and kind Of you to have
risked your life like this for me. Only
wonder that you did not all of you see that It
would be Of no USE We shall both be shut
ND here together now, that is all, and that
will be very sad for you and Bessie"
aOh. So you have heard Of our engage
mentp hes said.
GYes, got Bessie's letter about couple
Of hours ago, and congratulate you both
very much. I think that you viii have the
sweetest and loveliest wife in South Africa,
Capt. Mel; and think that Bessie will have
a husband any woman might be proud Of"
and she half bowed and half courtesied to
him as she said it, with graceful little air OF
dignity that was very taking.
"Thank you," he said, simply; Eyes, think
am q very lucky fellow"
GAnd now," she said, 1--WE had better 60
and see about the cart. You must be very
tired and hungry" and they started.
A few minutes walk brought them to the
cart, which Mouti had outspanned close to
Mrs. Nevilles wagon, where jess and her
friends were living, and the first person they
saw was Mrs. Neville herself. She was
good motherly, colonial woman, accustomed
to a rough life, and not easily disturbed by
an emergency like the present.
"My goodness, Capt. Nell" she cried, as
soon as Jess had introduced him. "Well, you
are plucky to have forced your way through
all those horrid Boers l am sure wonder
that they did not shoot You or beat you to
death with sjambocks, the brutes. Not that
there is much use in your coming, for you
will never be able 10 get jess back till Sir
George Collcy relieves us, and that can't be
for two months, they say. Well, there is one
thing, Jess will be able to sleep in the cart
now, and you can get one Of the patrol tents
and sleep alongside. 1t won't be quite pro-
per, perhaps, but in these times we can't stop
to consider propriety. There, there, you 60
off to the governor. He will be glad enough
to see you, I'll lie bound. l saw him at the
other end of tho camp, there, five minutes
ago, and we will have the cart arranged and
see all about it."
Thus adjured, John departed, and when he
returned half an hour afterward, having told
hiseventful tale, which did not, however,
convey any information Of general value, he
was rejoiced to find the process Of "getting
things straight" was in good progress. What
was better still, jess had fried him beef
steak over the camp fire, and was now en-
ployed in serving it OH G. little table by the
wagon. He sat down on a camp stool and
ate his meal heartily enough, while Jess
waited on him and Mrs. Neville chartered
away.
sBy the way" she said, "Jess tells me you
are going to marry her sister. Well. wish
you Joy. A man wants q wife III a
country like this It isn't like England,
where in five cases out Of six he might as well
60 and cut his throat Us get married. 1t
saves him money here, and children are
blessing, as nature meant them to be, and
not burden, as civilization has made them.
LORD, how my tongue does run on! 1t isn't
delicate to talk about children when you have
only been engaged couple Of weeks; but,
you see, that's what it all comes to after all
She's pretty girl, Bessie, and good one,
tool don't know her much-though she
hasn't got the brains of Jess, here. That re-
minds me; as you are engaged to Bessie, OF
course you can look after jess, and nobody
will think anything of it. ALI! if you only
knew what n place this is for talk, though
their talk is pretty well scared out Of them
now, I'm thinking. Ny husband is coming
round presently to the cart to help get Jesss
bed into it. Lucky it's big. We are such
tight fit in that wagon that shall be down.
right glad to see the last Of the dear girl;
though, Of course, you'll both come and take
your meals with US"
OtoS ucSIo Oil tuLS Ill SlltuCS. EouS SOulo
not wei! insist upon stopping inthe crowded
wagon; it would be asking too much; and,
besides, she had had one night in the wagon,
and that was quite enough for her. Once she
suggested that she would see if she could
not get the nuns to take her in at the convent,
but Mrs Neville instantly suppressed the
notion.
"Nunsp she said. "nonsense. When your
own brother in law-at least he will be your
brother in law il the Beers don't make an
end OF us all-is hero to take care of you;
don't talk about going to parcel Of nuns.
Iswill be as much as they can do to look
after themselves, III he bound"
As for John, he ate his steak and said moth
ing. The arrangement seemed very proper
one to him.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE TWELFTH OF FEBRUARY.
John soon settled down into the routine OF
camp life in Pretoria, which, after one once
got accustomed to it, was not so disagreeable
as might have been expected, and possessed,
xIo,